


Unexpected

by Capucine



Category: Batman - All Media Types, The Batman (Cartoon)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fallout, Fourshot, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Living Together, Mother-Son Relationship, Paparazzi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-05-19 21:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5982115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellen Yin stayed in Gotham. She stayed throughout the many villains that arose; she stayed throughout the emergence of Batgirl and then Robin.</p>
<p>But when tragedy strikes, and Robin, or Dick Grayson, is orphaned again, will she be able to step up to taking care of him? Or will it be more than she can handle?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I dunno, man, I can't sleep. And I really loved Detective Yin as a child--kinda a stand in for Robin and Batgirl, since they weren't introduced yet, but yeah.
> 
> She is okay in this one and has a long career in Gotham.

She shouldn't have been the one with a child in her arms.

A boy. An orphan. And not for the first time.

And this poor boy had his face buried in her shoulder, and Detective Ellen Yin is reminded again of why she almost left Gotham, of why the Batman came to be too much-- _almost_ too much, not so much that she could leave or be forced to leave.

His crusade was well-intentioned. Even after what happened to Bennett. Even after he took on children--the girl, the redhead, was not here. She had not shown up since the fire. Ellen had little doubt at this point that her remains would show up--the fire was massive, and picking through would take a long time even for a non-corrupt, fully operational CSI department.

And the Comissioner's kid was missing. Also a redhead.

An easy connection to make, and all too heartbreaking. Gordon was out there, would not rest until his daughter was found--alive, unconnected, _something_.

And Ellen couldn't think about the poor girl. Her job would be over at the end of a noose if she dwelled too long on the suffering victims went through. Or in white walls, hands trembling as they talked about feelings and she asked when she was getting out.

A scene she had seen before.

Dick Grayson, son of billionaire Bruce Wayne--the Batman. And Dick Grayson was Robin.

He hadn't spoken. Not since his wild attempt to search the smoldering wreckage of the building upon being freed--not since the fiberglass cast that encased his arm right up to the should and over the fingers, the thing shattered beyond what the kid should have been able to stand.

And not since they'd treated the massive burn scarring up his leg.

Among other, more minor injuries.

As Ellen understood it, the elderly butler had died in the blaze as well. It had been a huge high society social function. One that had been crashed by The Riddler, and concurrently the Joker, like they hadn't checked their calendars or had been booked at the same time by mistake.

So, no one could take Dick, a child in need of a home and twice orphaned. A kid who wasn't even speaking, who looked dead-eyed into the vulture cameras of the paparazzi.

Ellen took him. She'd volunteered, because there was reasonable suspicion that he could be a target--it was uncertain how much had gotten out in the beginning, but as soon as word he was Robin and Bruce Wayne had Batman got out, they'd had to get a plain clothes armed guard on watch.

Ellen's apartment was feeling a touch less secluded and private, but she still tucked Dick into the couch bed (her bed was too tall for him to get into, and it was a decent mattress--a kind of futon one) and gave him a glass of water and his pain meds. Strong stuff. "Please take this. I made you a sandwich, okay?"

Dick didn't even nod, just wordlessly took the pills dry.

Ellen didn't push it, even though she knew dry-swallowing pills was not exactly the best way to do it. Small potatoes.

She put a small pile of potato chips next to the sandwich, in the hopes that would entice Dick to eat.

Her heart clenched in her chest painfully, and she had known the Batman, had cared about him, his mission, been intrigued and included--never fully, never in the same manner as Dick or Batgirl--but he was _gone._

There was no doubt. His remains were identified.

No chance it could be wrong--everything, the DNA, the dental records, even a couple recovered finger prints--everything matched. Ellen didn't have the hope that it could be a mistake.

He'd also been wearing the batsuit.

Dick trembled as he moved, evidently trying to stand--to go to Ellen's bathroom. She reached out to help him, but he wordlessly turned away like she was trying to burn him.

She pressed her lips together, watched him go.

Not much she could do. There wasn't anything she could do so soon other than what she was doing.

And so she flipped on a movie--some ancient musical, anything not deathly and dreary and gritty--and watched it, as Dick managed to fumble into the bathroom.

She couldn't promise him it would be okay.

She couldn't even promise herself it would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yin hopes crying means Dick is getting better, coming to terms with his grief. It's still hard to go through either way, though.

Dick wasn't supposed to be with her for so long.

But with the blow to the department when Barbara's remains were identified, with the way that Gordon took a leave of absence (grief) and Detective Yin was encouraged to take a break as well, well. She couldn't do nothing with the time. She would rather die too.

Dick became the project, and she wasn't certain that was healthy, but she couldn't face it if it weren't.

He wasn’t that talkative at first. Silent as if he died too, except when the pain was too much and she had to remind him to take his meds.

But eventually, things had to happen. The silence had to be broken, for both their sakes.

She was kind of proud of him when he broke it first.

“I don’t like this show.”

Yin looked over at Dick, surprised at the first phrase he’d really said since getting taken in—besides a dead complaint that he knew where his meds were and how to take them. She looked towards the screen, and could see the cowboy-looking dad put a hand on his son’s shoulder.

She switched it. “Yeah, I don’t like it either.”

There was not much of a silence after that, as Dick put in, “No one would be that okay with their dog dying.”

She hadn’t really been watching the show, honestly. She wished she had been, but she nodded anyway. “Yeah. People don’t like feeling that way, I guess. So they don’t put it in.”

“That’s really stupid,” Dick murmured.

“Yeah. And some people just don’t know. Don’t get it.” Yin was watching Dick now. She was tired as hell, despite not being at work, but she could muster up energy for Dick any time he needed it.

“People don’t. They don’t have everyone die, and it’s never fine, and it never will be, and it’s never gonna be okay, and—and—it’s not fair!” Dick’s cheeks had tears coursing down them now. He was more emotional, words more sharp.

Yin couldn’t imagine being orphaned twice. She carefully came over, kneeling in front of him where he was folded onto the couch. “I know it’s not. I know.”

Dick sniffled loudly, and started to sob, what some people would term ugly sobs. All she saw was him finally able to react. “He didn’t even—he didn’t say goodbye. No one ever gets to. And I—I only had him, and Babs, and Alfred, and they’re all gone, and I’m always going to lose everyone.”

His voice was choked with tears, face red, breath hitched. 

“You’re not always going to lose everyone. I’m still here, and I’ll be here as long as you need me to be,” Yin stroked back his hair, nervous as hell, because what if she was doing the wrong thing? What if she made it worse? Hurt him, emotionally?

He shook his head. “I’m the one. I’m the bad luck. You have to make me leave—cause I can’t do that again. You can’t die too, and I-I-I--” Hiccups made his ability to form words disappear.

And Yin’s heart broke for him. She very, very carefully wrapped her arms around him, and murmured, “You’re not bad luck, Dick, it’s the city. Gotham’s a cursed place. And I can handle it, I swear. I’m not going to die too.”

She’d had so little connection with Robin, Dick Grayson, whatever, before this. So little interaction. But she was all that was left of his world.

And she’d make sure that piece didn’t crumble away.

She knew what it was like to lose a solid piece of your world. Bennett a prime example of that. 

She could feel Dick’s chest heaving, his head resting heavily on her shoulder.

“You’re wrong,” she heard him say softly. “You’re wrong. Everybody’s gonna die cause of me.”

“No, they’re not,” she replied, and he had no response for that.

Eventually, he wore himself out, an easy thing to do while recovering, and she helped tuck him in on the futon. She stayed within sight, an easy thing to do in her apartment, and was slowly reaching a decision.

No matter what, she was going to stay a part of Dick’s life.

She wasn’t sure how yet, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I updated this one. Go me? It only took like three months. :P


End file.
